Alyssa
by oscine
Summary: Alyssa was always used to her fellow pupils looking up to her when she started a new school - so what happens when she begins Year 10 at Waterloo Road with her sister and dad?
1. Introduction to my life

_Describe yourse__lf in no less than 50 words._

I sighed. I hated starting a new school, and the worst part of it all is the stupid questionnaire they give you to fill out when you apply for a place. What was I meant to put anyway?

"Finds refuge in alcohol, shitty home life, moves house every six months. Doesn't think life is worth living. Self harms. Single. Oh yes. Definitely single. Well. Single during the day. Doesn't do homework (too busy partying.) Awful grades. Doesn't give a fuck. Oh, and swears a lot."

Somehow I didn't think that would impress anyone at the school. And besides, it was only 47 words.

So I settled for the usual blathering about extra-curricular clubs I'd "been a part of" at my previous schools, etc etc. Truth be told, I hated school, so the chances of me staying there for a millisecond longer than was necessary were… slim to say the least.

So. You're probably wondering who I am. My name is Alyssa McDonald and I am 15 years old. I'm about to start Year 10 at Waterloo Road High School. Well, more like butt into Year 10 at Waterloo Road High School – it _is _already January after all.

My mum buggered off 4 years ago with her boyfriend, who she'd been seeing for 2 years before that. I don't really care. She was a better mum to her vodka bottles than to me or my sister, Amina.

Amina is 14 and going into Year 10 with me. You couldn't tell we were sisters. We're probably only half-sisters anyway, knowing _my _mother. We were born exactly 9 months apart. My birthday is the 3rd of September, hers the 3rd of June.

We are chalk and cheese, or, to put it my mother's way, like a martini and glass of wine: she's elegant and girly, and I'm anything but.

But I don't care. Look where being like me has put me in society. At every school I've been at, my fellow pupils have respected me. It's just the air of authority I have. And then Amina – well, she's the quiet one who doesn't have many friend yet sits at the front of every class, answering all the teachers' questions. She gets on better with the adults than people her own age.

And the reason we never get to settle? It was my step-mum's job – she never spent more than 6 months at a time in one place. I don't know what she did exactly, but it involved my dad changing his job twice a year to a new location, and us either staying in a dingy old hotel or renting the cheapest flat on the market.

Roasline, my step-mum, died two weeks ago. I never really knew her, and I feel guilty saying it, but I don't miss her. It means I get to spend much more time with the members of my family I actually enjoy the company of – i.e. Amina and my dad.

Though saying that, Dad's been unreachable since Rosaline's death. He was the one driving the car when it crashed, so I suppose he blames himself. He's barely left his room except for doing things that need to be done. Including the job interview a few days ago.

Turned out my school is hiring a new Geography teacher, which turned out to be him. Which turned out to inconvenience me a lot, because I couldn't get away with the things I may be able to if he weren't there.

And it turned out that my time at Waterloo Road would be a lot more exciting than I hoped!


	2. First day of school

**Author's Notes – Thanks for the positive reviews from Chapter 1. Sorry I haven't updated for **_**ages **_**but I have been really busy with so much homework! Anyway – I'm not sure quite when this story is set, but I'll be grabbing characters and storylines from several series, so this may contain spoilers! Anyway, enjoy!**

I was late for my first day at my new school.

Well. As per usual I guess – although this time, I wasn't actually to blame.

Me and Amina were on the bus on the way to school. I'm not normally shy, but I just couldn't bring myself to look anyone in the eye. It was probably the most easy-going school I've ever been at, judging at the way the kids wore their uniforms. Though I must admit, the fact that nobody wore it properly made the "I'm messy look" seem a bit… less messy.

Anyway, I sat with Amina to protect her – it's in the job description of "older sister" – although what I'd rather do is get to know everyone I was to be sharing a school with a bit better. I was speaking to my sister when it happened.

We were right in the middle of a conversation about our favourite subjects – music for me, geography for her (something I don't understand at all) – when there was a sudden surge of commotion from the back of the bus.

A boy who couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than me (and who I later learnt to be called Finn Sharkey) was in the centre of a huddle of people his age. Then there was a sudden bang, and one of the girls let out a huge scream.

Absolute pandemonium. People were shrieking and trying to get off the bus, seemingly abandoning the girl who lay bleeding on the floor.

The bus driver shoved his way to the back:-

"What the hell is going on?"

Nobody seemed to be able to answer, so he picked up the girl and immediately yelled at nobody in particular to ring an ambulance. Because I _still _didn't know what had happened, and neither, apparently, did Amina, I fumbled in my pocket for the mobile phone Dad bought as a present for my 15th birthday.

Everything passed in a blur after that. Paramedics asked us if we were injured and took the unconscious girl to hospital. I found out from Amina her name was Amy Porter (my sister has a way of finding these things out.) But still nobody asides from those at the back of the bus knew what had happened. And everyone else wanted to know. Including the police.

They took everyone's names and addresses, telling us they'd visit to take our statements at some point during the week. I dreaded it straight away. I fear the law after my many previous encounters with it, so even an innocent statement-taking worries me now.

So we arrived at school at 10:00am in the end. Mrs Fisher, the head teacher, called an emergency assembly about the morning's events.

It turns out that Finn had brought a gun into school. It sounds stupid, I know, but he was obviously the sort of guy who toyed with danger. My sort of guy.

Anyway, Amy, in pure curiosity, had accidentally pulled the trigger, just as the barrel was pointing at her stomach, resulting in a near-fatal wound that will leave her in hospital for weeks.

After the muttering at this revelation had died down, Mrs Fisher decided to make another announcement.

"While you're all gathered here, I may as well let you all know that we have three new students joining us this term. If you could stand up and let everyone know who you are?"

I shot a sideways glance towards Amina. She nodded slightly, and we both nervously stood up. The predictable mutterings spread across the room as the pupils sized up their new companions. During those five agonising seconds, I scanned furtively for the other newcomer. I'd never been worried before, but the incident on the bus had left me rattled. Another face that was unrecognisable in the school might be a bit of a lifeline.

He had dark brown skin, as if he had one black and one white parent. He was leaning against the back wall lazily, his dark brown eyes trying desperately not to meet anyone else's. He ended up staring at the ceiling, giving him the air of someone who was completely disinterested. But I knew there was something more. I knew he had a story. And I knew I couldn't rest until I knew what it was.

Mrs. Fisher nodded and we all hastily took our seats.

"Amina and Alyssa McDonald will be joining Year 10, and joining Year 11 will be Dafydd Alban," she stumbled over the Welsh pronunciation.

Suddenly, from the corner of the room, came a mechanical voice, with a local accent; "It's David."

"Sorry," Mrs. Fisher seemed genuinely abashed. "Right. You're all free to go to Period 2 now. Could the three new students please come to my office to receive your timetables? Please, feel free to ask any other pupils if you're unsure where it is. I know they'll all be very welcoming," she added sternly.

Through the scraping of chairs and crowd of teenagers rushing to get out of the crowded auditorium, I saw a dark figure, Dafydd, slip out of the back fire escape.


	3. Exploration

**Waheyyy update!**

**Sorry about the big gap – I've had too much in my head. **

**As I don't really know which years different students are in, I'm making them up for Alyssa's year.**

**Enjoy!**

Funnily enough, I found Dafydd had actually reached the Head's office before myself and my sister, even though he'd gone outside, and taken what I presumed was a longer route. I didn't let it bother me though – maybe he'd got talking to one of the other students who had shown him a short-cut.

Mrs. Fisher seemed to be a genuinely lovely person, though Amina told me later that she thought the Head had sad eyes and had been through too much hardship. I didn't question her ability to judge the personalities of others, it was almost expected, given Amina's own personality.

After being given our timetables and a map of the school, the three of us left Mrs. Fisher's office together. I headed to the Geography room, where, joy of all joys, I was to be taught by my dad. Amina was in Art, and Dafydd seemed to vanish into thin air.

I got to my lesson about 15 minutes late, but wasn't told off for it – it was my dad, and anyway, I'd been with Mrs. Fisher. The class was in the middle of a discussion, but not a very structured one, and it definitely had nothing to do with Geography!

I knew my father's teaching methods. For his first lesson with a new class, he liked to get to know them, so the students were taking it in turns to say a little bit about themselves. The person speaking as I walked in the room didn't pause as I took my seat at the back, but winked at me as I squeezed in the gap between his seat and the table behind him.

"Michael van der Roose. 15, single, straight," he said this last staring right at me. To be honest, I wasn't the slightest bit interested in him. His hair was too short, he had too many scars, his eyes were too far apart and he was too cocky. Not my type.

The class tittered a bit at his last little remark but my dad's stern gaze soon quietened everyone down. Great, I thought – here it comes – and I braced myself for the next embarrassing scene.

"Ok," Dad started. "Let's see – Alyssa, you're the only person that hasn't spoken yet. Tell us about yourself."

I was about to open my mouth to speak, but before I could form any words, the boy who was speaking as I came in, Michael, butted in – "Wait – You two _know _each other? Wonder what's been going on there eh?" As he intended, the class erupted into peals of laughter, but I stayed calm.

"Yeah, actually, he's my dad," I said coolly. This didn't quite have the reaction I'd expected. I was waiting for the usual jeers about how I'd get good grades or insults, but nobody seemed to really care. Predictably, Michael then threw in his offer to 'get to know me better' but I refused just as the bell went.

"Right," Dad said from the front of the classroom. "Next lesson I want you all to bring in a magazine you don't mind cutting up. We're doing a richer-poorer exercise. See you all then!"

As the students filed out of the classroom, I felt a hand link in mine. I sighed, thinking it was Michael, but when I turned around to yell at him, saw it was only Amina.

"Are you okay?" I asked her with growing suspicions that something was wrong. Her face was pulled tight with worry, and I didn't like seeing my little sister so upset.

Amina just shook her head and tried to tug me down the corridor in the opposite direction to where I needed to go.

"Look – just tell me what's wrong!" I demanded, but when I saw her flinch from my angry tone, I instantly apologised. "It can't be that bad?"

"Just come with me. I need to show you something," she spoke at last, her voice little more than a whisper.

I followed the gentle pull of my sister's hand all the way to a little storage room. She whispered: "I found this on my way to Art earlier."

Amina swung open the door with trepidation, leading me to believe that something would jump out at me or scare the living daylights from my body. But all there was was… Well I'm not entirely sure. There was a huge pile of clothes, but that didn't seem too extreme. After all, it was near the Art department. Maybe the shirts were used as painting overalls.

"What is it exactly I'm supposed to be looking at?" I asked, more than a little confused.

"It's… It's gone!" Amina gasped. "But that's not possible – I checked…" I cut her off before she could continue rambling. Something was moving in the stock cupboard!


End file.
